Re: Re: Dodge Grand Caravan Hot Wheels! I seem to have screwed up...
The emergency brake operates on the back wheels and won't contribute to the front wheels heating up. Since the front brakes do the majority of the work in braking on any car, they will usually get hotter than the back ones. If you just came from some stop n' go driving, especially if you had to make a few fairly hard stops from moderate speed, the wheels will indeed get hot, especially on a warm day. This may be totally normal. Do you hear or feel any grinding from the front end while the car is in motion? Do the brakes pull one way or another? When you park the car after a moderately long drive, do you smell anything burning near the front wheels, or any unusual odors?
The popping could be a ball joint, the steering rack, or any of the other myriad parts under there. If the dealer won't help you, take it to a good independent mechanic and have the whole front end checked out.
I have the same problem myself on my 94' Chrysler. I get a couple of seconds of rattle if I get a bum filter that has a weak anti-drainback valve. Of course the engine has a quarter-million miles on it too, which may be contributing to the problem. I'd stay away from generics and from Fram--when using both I have the problem. Wix seems to make a pretty good filter. In the cold weather, a full-synthetic oil will enable the engine to get oil pressure sooner too, as the oil won't be a puddle of jelly at below freezing temps. Good luck.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Help!!! Transmission Dead??? Again...another $4,000 down the drain!
Since there are indeed rows of these cars in the salvage yards, perhaps a junkyard transmission is the way to go if needed. It will be a lot cheaper than a $4000 rebuild. Of course it's a crap shoot, but most salvage yards will give you some warranty on a used tranny. The installation is your responsibility though.
